Cozy up to the many shades of fall with ‘MVP”, the warm acoustic debut of folk pop artist Slimdan.
Perhaps you feel like folk pop during the autumn is a cliche and you’re looking for something different-- Slimdan would agree with you; “I was bored of guys with acoustic guitars and didn’t think the universe needed another one,” he writes. And then he found the answer he was looking for to shake things up a bit-- “exploring the way other artists create was really interesting to me.” By tapping into a wide array of genres and musical artists, Slimdan was able to craft the perfect, non-run-of-the-mill indie folk pop song; with all of the charm, warmth, and artful melodies of a folk song, all of the fun danceability of a pop song, and none of the predictability of such songs we’ve heard before.
Most folk/pop crossovers are pop songs played on an acoustic guitar, but Silmdan takes a much more clever approach. Like many folk songs, particularly folk songs from the 60s revival, “MVP” is an in-depth analysis of the self, even if he’s not taking himself too seriously in the process. It’s flooded with catchy, memorable hooks, and a stomp-and-holler-like beat. Its influence of pop is sprinkled throughout the song in instrumentation, namely the bridge of the song when the listener is introduced to lofty, fuzzy synths. As the song progresses, there’s a sense of musical tension building, and this instrumental breakdown acts as the release it’s been building up to the whole time, and it’s both surprising and ultimately satisfying.
So give this song a try-- it’s not going to be what you expect, and you’re going to be pleasantly surprised. Maybe even test it on the aux cord on your way to the apple orchard.
Danny Silberstein is the creative mind behind Slimdan. He was introduced to music through his mom, as she shared everything she loved with him, including artists across every genre imaginable. After attending college in Boston, he returned to LA where he started getting invited to pop writing sessions. From there, he had been writing pop songs with and for other artists for years, not really giving any mind to writing his own, until a songwriter canceled their session last minute and he was given the chance to “write from the heart and see what happens” with collaborator Bryan Brundige. In short, that took him in an entirely new direction, resulting in his upcoming EP.
Written by Jess Ward